How To Solve A Paint Problem, Old Saybrook Ct

I’ve been in the painting business for over 37 years and have received many calls from people when paint goes wrong. That’s why we created this blog How To Solve A Paint Problem, Old Saybrook CT. Paint problems always pop up for “do it yourselfers” we’ve all been there! We are happy to answer any questions you have after reading this blog, our contact info is at the bottom.

The most common issue and paint problem is when paint peels or bubbles. This can be caused by bad adhesion or age, some other things that can cause this is exposing latex paint to moisture shortly after it has dried, or applying an oil based or alkyd paint over a previous latex base paint, this doesn’t work. Another way to cause issues is improper surface preparation, or painting on a damp, dirty or hot surface. This is why we offer free professional consultations over the phone or in person, even if you are doing the job yourself, please call us for advice and the way to do it, we are very happy to help anyone that calls.
Why are we willing to do this? Because that’s how we became successful, by taking the focus off our own bottom line and instead caring for the customer, it all comes back to us in the way of good will.

I mentioned this already, but you really need to be sure that you are not dealing with lead based paint, it’s very dangerous to your health and your children’s health. Especially if you just moved into a new home, it’s a great idea before you do anything with the walls or trim to have the surfaces tested for lead if it’s an older home (before 1978) There are kits at hardware or paint stores for this. Children are the most impacted by lead based paint, it can be hard to detect at first, and symptoms and signs don’t usually appear until there are high levels in the body. I will be doing another blog on this, so please check back in the next week or so for it.

Now, back to the topic of this blog, a few ways to help prevent surface problems from occurring after painting and lesson paint problems:
1. Always make sure that the surface you are painting has been properly cleaned and then given adequate time to dry completely.
2. If you have stains on the wall, be sure to purchase a high quality primer from Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, these are the two companies I deal with all the time, and they stand behind their product if there is any problem, they are quick to help resolve the issue.
3. If you are dealing with new joint compound be sure to use flat latex paint or latex primer.
4. If its the summer make sure it’s not real humid or hot outside, even if you have air conditioning on, be sure that it’s not one of those extra humid hot days outside, this can greatly affect the overall quality of the paint job.
5. Let the surfaces dry completely before exposing the surfaces to any type of moisture! If you are painting in a bathroom or kitchen, checkout a paint that is made for this specifically! Some great products are Benjamin Moore’s Aura Bath & Spa paint, this is a great product! In the past only glossier sheen paints were recommended for high moisture areas like kitchens, bathrooms for their durability and easy to wipe clean the walls. Now, you can still get these great benenfits, and have the option of a Matte finish with a product like Benjamin Moore’s Aura Bath and Spa.
6. Another solution is to install fans or venting systems in rooms that have high moisture.

Bubbles are another negative symptom after painting that causes paint problems, that I get calls from frustrated homeowners that worked so hard to create a beautiful paint job, only to find that a short time later, there is bubbling happening! If after some time the blisters don’t go down on their own, you will need to scrape and sand the areas.

Scraping. Proper scraping is so important to prevent any painting problems! If you are doing interior work, you want to get all the scraping done first, then you do the sanding. If you are doing exterior work, you can do the scraping and sanding as part of the same process. If you are sanding outside, be sure to cover windows and doorways as the dust can definitely find it’s way into the house, and that can be a job in itself cleaning up the dust on the inside when you aren’t ready for it. Another area that you need to be very protective of is the plant life outside, shrubs, flowers, especially gardens! You can get a light weight clean drop cloth and cover these areas carefully before starting. If you lift the cloth and you find that some chips or heavy dust got on the ground, don’t panic. Carefully pick up the chips and carefully scrape some dirt with the dust to get it out of the ground. It’s obviously important with gardens since you will be eating what is there and it can get into your soil and into your food.

How to scrape the walls before sanding: You want to scrape first especially if there is bubbling or peeling! A scraping tool is the best ally in this project, it’s a simple device that can help eliminate most of the walls previous paint. A good idea is to divide the area into smaller parts (be sure to wear safety goggles over your eyes). The reason I suggest dividing the area into smaller parts is the clean up, it’s easier to scrape and then clean up the floor of the falling pieces of old paint and then move onto the next section. It can be very daunting to scrape a large area, look back and see a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up, this also helps serve you in case you have to stop the job quickly because you got called away to something else, it can take minutes to clean up the small section before you have to leave. When you come back, there is a clean set up space waiting for you. This also helps because you can tie up the garbage bag and take it with you to throw out and it’s not sitting there. On another note, it can be so encouraging to see your progress when you do small sections at a time and it encourages you to keep going. It is hard work, but done the right way, it goes quickly and efficiently, that’s the name of the game, and that translates into a beautiful job and no paint problems!

Before you start to sand, make sure to use a large roll of plastic ( you can purchase them at the hardware or painting store) You will need to get some tape and close off any openings in the room so that the debris from sanding doesn’t go to other parts of the house or rooms. Also cover any air conditioning or heating ducs.

Another solution for the high areas is a sanding pole, these are very handy, all you have to do is attach the sanding paper to the end of the pole and you are ready to go, ideally you should get a pole that allows you to adjust the height of the pole, otherwise, you will be limited on the low parts.

You can also cover the floor with some resin paper (definitely do this when you start to paint or use a good drop cloth) When sanding be sure to choose good sand paper, perhaps a 120 grit paper. You want to fold the paper in three parts so that you can sand on one part of the paper and when that looks like it’s worn down, its easy to just flip the sand paper over and you have a fresh paper waiting for you.

Another way to prevent paint problems is sanding! You want to do a nice sanding job because sanding serves several purposes in itself. It removes layers of chipped flaking paint. Sanding also helps by removing a gloss finish, this way it helps with paint adhesion. You don’t want a shiny surface before you paint. If you are doing a large room, you can use an electric sander. This really helps ease the work load and wear and tear on your body! Just be sure to have the right grit, not to heavy and let the sander do all the work! Gently hold it and it will glide over the wall. There are sanders that have a bag attached to collect any sanding powder, you still want to tape off rooms because although it collects a lot of the powder, it’s not 100%, maybe 95%.

When this happens, you need to scrape and sand the area. A word of caution here, make sure there is no lead paint, there are kits you can buy at the hardware store to test for this, if there is lead I strongly suggest hiring a lead certified painting contractor to at least remove the old paint for you. If you choose to do it yourself, make sure to wear gloves and a mask.
Gloves are important because you can create heat from the friction between the wall and sandpaper, and of course always always wear a mask! If you do a lot of the projects yourself around the house, I would suggest investing in a really high quality mask that allows you to change the filters and sturdy enough to last a long time. You will use this mask for many projects like cleaning with strong chemicals, when you use paints that have odors and chemicals, perhaps you have a very dirty garage or basement, it’s a great way to protect your health when you start sweeping and cleaning, kicking up all kinds of stuff into the air, so it will always be put to good use in one form or another!

When you are done with the sanding, on interior walls you will need to get a clean cloth and dampen it with some fresh water. It’s important to do a nice job wiping down the walls so that you can clean up any sanding powder or residue on the walls. This is tricky because sometimes it looks like there is nothing on the wall, but if you run your gloved hand over it you will see a bunch of powder come off on your glove, you dont’ want this, it will get into the paint and the air causing problems. So, use a clean cloth, make it damp and gently wipe down the walls and make sure there is no powder on your gloved hand when you run it back over to check that it’s all gone. This step is important to prevent any paint problems!

Next is vacuuming, there is a wonderful vacuum called the HEPA vacuum, the initials stand for High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter. If you are in a room with covered furniture, you might need to vacuum the furniture as well. If there is lead paint you are dealing with, vacuum every thing!! Vacum surfaces that were covered. It doesn’t matter, because it’s easy for particles to get under the covering.

After the scraping, sanding and vacuuming are all done, it’s time to put up fresh drop cloths and protect the floor as well with resin paper. Be sure to do research on the type of paint you are using. I have used Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paints for over 35 years with great success. Be sure to get a high quality primer, and take your time applying a good coat of primer. After the primer has dried completely, be sure to get a high quality finish paint. If you are buying your supplies from a reputable paint store, talk to them, ask a lot of questions, ask what they would use and why. Try to give them as many details as possible. The reason you want to go to a small store is the customer service and help. I love to go to home depot, but sometimes you can feel like you are in no man land! Small paint stores and hardware stores have more hands on experience with customers. They can really help so you don’t run into unkown painting problems!

After scraping and sanding you will need to spot or full prime followed by a high quality paint like Benjamin Moore’s.

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“I recently used Coastline Painters to paint the interior and exterior of a newly-built accessory building on our property. The interior of the structure has a good amount of wood detail. I thought Coastline did a fantastic job not only with the painting but with all the prepping and staining of the wood. Dave, the owner, did several samples of paint and stain for me until I was satisfied with my color choices. His guys were always on-time and polite and were extremely accommodating if I pointed out any little detail that wasn’t to my liking. They never made me feel that I was too demanding. I believe they have a lot of pride in their work, and want their customers to be satisfied in the end. I plan on using their services in the future when it’s time to repaint our house.”

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We’ve been a customer of Coastline Painters LLC for years,we’ve used their services for indoor and outdoor painting. Their work is excellent and their team is very reliable. We’ve always been happy with the results. We would recommend Coastline for all your painting needs!

The guys did another great job for us; we are pleased. While I thanked Lewis and Serafin, I didn’t get the opportunity to thank Chris and Mossub? – please be sure to reinforce to them that we are very pleased – with their fine painting, attention to details, their pleasant and polite ways, and their hard work.